Theft
I am well cheesed off. On a recent diving trip to Sharm, I thought I had lost my DSMB, which I keep tucked up behind my backplate. "OK", I thought when I discovered it was gone as I was packing up my gear, "It could have slipped out, even though it usually only dislodges with a firm tug and my ample derierre should have kept it from falling out into the sea. Fair enough, kit gets dropped." But -- I went diving on Friday and assembled my kit only to discover that, between my last dive in Sharm and the following morning when I picked up my kit from the dive outfit, somebody had nicked the integrated air horn off my inflate hose! These things do not fall off.
I have dived all over the place and have never given much thought to the safety of my possessions. I would have thought that a five star resort's dive center would have been a safe place to leave my kit to dry. The beachfront dive shack in the Philippines has always been fine.
I don't actually think it was a member of staff at the dive center or hotel; they would be mad to play that game, as I'm sure a steady job at the Hyatt garners much more dosh than they'd get fencing stolen goods down in Naama Bay. If it had been one of the boat guys I might understand (not condone, mind you), since they are so very badly paid and rather poorly treated (though I find it ironic that throughout the week, I was one of the few divers who tipped them!). However, it would have been hard for a boat handler to rummage around in the kit boxes of the paying customers looking for nickable stuff without being noticed.
This leaves my fellow divers, and a very bad taste in my mouth. I trust these people with my safety underwater and can't trust them with my stuff above it? How mad is that? Have I just been incredibly naive and incredibly lucky that stuff hasn't gone walkabout before now?
I have dived all over the place and have never given much thought to the safety of my possessions. I would have thought that a five star resort's dive center would have been a safe place to leave my kit to dry. The beachfront dive shack in the Philippines has always been fine.
I don't actually think it was a member of staff at the dive center or hotel; they would be mad to play that game, as I'm sure a steady job at the Hyatt garners much more dosh than they'd get fencing stolen goods down in Naama Bay. If it had been one of the boat guys I might understand (not condone, mind you), since they are so very badly paid and rather poorly treated (though I find it ironic that throughout the week, I was one of the few divers who tipped them!). However, it would have been hard for a boat handler to rummage around in the kit boxes of the paying customers looking for nickable stuff without being noticed.
This leaves my fellow divers, and a very bad taste in my mouth. I trust these people with my safety underwater and can't trust them with my stuff above it? How mad is that? Have I just been incredibly naive and incredibly lucky that stuff hasn't gone walkabout before now?
posted by Mme Cyn at 4:33 PM
2 Comments:
Now thats a poor show, being a diver myself I would never think anyone would do that, the last thing on your mind 40m under is whats going on above. Spoils the dive.
must be pure clarity where you are! I,m jealous...
CR
There may be honour amongst thieves, but in your case, it appears that there is none between divers.
There are bad apples everywhere.
J and I were only recently discussing this, in a similar way, a couple of days ago. She's had friends renting her home in Berlin, but it's amazing how much of her stuff has disappeared, even with friends in the place. Just small stuff, you'd never notice it unless you actively looked for it, and this is what we're doing because we're packing the place up and preparing it for sale. We're finding empty boxes where power tools used to be, knives missing, etc etc.
I call them opportunistic collectors. It's not premeditated or planned in any way, but if there's an opportunity to take something and it's an easy steal, then they'll do it.
It's bad enough when you know that you've lost something, but even worse when you know that something has gone missing in the company of people that you thought you could trust.
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